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Mind-Blowing Cloud Formations You Probably Haven’t Seen Before

Various cloud formations might be one of the most beautiful and romantic sights in nature, but these masses of liquid droplets is also a complex and scientifically interesting phenomena. Regardless of the shape and the looks of the cloud, they’re all made of the same thing – condensed water or ice. When the sun heats the ground, warm air starts to evaporate and rise towards the sky. Once these water vapor particles cluster together, a cloud is formed. If it is being joined by more water crystals and keeps growing, it will eventually reach us on the ground as rain or snow. Otherwise the cloud simply evaporates into the thin air.

Even though different cloud formations might seem random and indescribable to you, there’s a whole cloud classification system that’s uniform worldwide. Luke Howard, British manufacturing chemist and an amateur meteorologist, was the first to introduce a nomenclature system for clouds back 1802. Today clouds are categorized based on their shape, altitude, process of formation and other features.

Luckily you don’t need to be a meteorologist or a science fan to appreciate the beauty of differently shaped and colored clouds. Here’s a selection of some stunning cloud pictures – we bet that among them you’ll find some cloud formations that you’ve never actually seen before!